Clarets linked with two Brentford players

04 April 2013 01:48

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Sean Dyche is still to make a permanent signing as Burnley manager. The January transfer window, the first since he took charge, passed with no activity other than the already agreed signing of Dane Richards from the MLS.

There's been very little speculation with his only move being the one that brought Alex Kačaniklić on loan from Fulham, but today the Lancashire Telegraph has linked us with two players from Brentford, a club who are currently in third place in League One, three points behind second place Bournemouth with two games in hand.

The players in question are centre half Harlee Dean and midfielder Harry Forrester, both of whom have been regulars in the Brentford team this season.

Dean, a 21-year-old central defender who stands at 6ft 3ins, has finally settled into regular football over the last season and a half after moving around a succession of non-league clubs in the south of England as part of his development.

He came through the youth system at Dagenham & Redbridge but enjoyed loans at Redbridge, Bishop's Stortford, Thurrock, Braintree Town and Grays Athletic. He must have turned in some impressive performances, enough for then Southampton manager Alan Pardew to offer him a trial during the pre-season of 2010.

That trial became a two year contract, initially with the development squad, but those two years didn't result in him making the first team. He went out on loan again to Bishop's Stortford and then, in November 2011, significantly to Brentford.

it was initially a short term deal but was extended until the end of the season. He played 26 times for the Bees and, when Southampton released him, manager Uwe Rosler took him to Griffin Park on a permanent deal.

This season has seen him land a regular role in the Brentford team. He's played 48 league and cup games for them in what is hoped will be a promotion season.

Harry Forrester took a different route. The midfielder was subject to a big transfer at the age of 16 when Aston Villa signed him from Watford. That was just three years ago at a time when our current manager Sean Dyche was working alongside Malky Mackay at Vicarage Road.

Other clubs were interested in signing him, including Manchester United, but the young midfielder opted for Villa where he eventually won a professional contract.

He was never able to make the breakthrough at Villa Park and got his first team debut in Scottish football during the 2010/11 season, playing seven times for Kilmarnock during a loan.

Released by Villa in the summer of 2011, he was on trial with Ajax but returned to England to take up the option of a contract with Brentford. He's since past 50 appearances for the Bees and scored an important goal for them recently, scoring a penalty to earn them a replay against Chelsea in the FA Cup.

Both of these players are young players although Dyche said recently that he was looking to also bring in some more experienced players which he thinks is lacking in the current squad.

Even so, the speculation shouldn't be dismissed and could be the first links to come out of the club since the setting up of the new recruitment department under Lee Darnborough.

There is no doubt that there will be changes in the squad during the summer. Whether that will include the arrival of either or both of Dean and Forrester remains to be seen. Their positions at Brentford could well be dependent on the result of their promotion bid.